Meanwhile, on Craigslist: Interesting Cars for Sale in the Shadows of the Pebble Beach Auctions

Alexander Stoklosa

Aug 14, 2015

Among the many highlights of the annual Pebble Beach week are the various car auctions. You know, the ones that make headlines with $30-million Ferraris and Bugattis so expensive that onlookers should be charged five bucks just for making eye contact. While those cars are undeniably great, and we know that every year at least some bargains roll across the auction blocks, what’s the everyman to do? Being everymen ourselves, we hit up Craigslist, discovering that the Monterey site’s automotive offerings are downright amazing. Here, we collect some of our favorites.

1976 American Dodge Clipper “Collector”

As one of our editors pointed out immediately upon seeing this Dodge-based motorhome for sale in Monterey, why expense a hotel when we could stay in this $3800 room that moves? Sure, there are several reasons to choose the cushy hotel room, but the best reason not to is that they’re for ninnies. We don’t even mind that the seller’s single photo of the rig is blurry; it adds intrigue. On the other hand, the photo might be hiding reasons to cough up the dough for a hotel room.

“84 amg” Ice Cream Truck

An ’84 AMG, no way! That’d be . . . far more incredible than this 1984 AMC ice cream truck, which is listed for $5000 and called an “amg.” As it sits, the truck looks extra clean—thanks, California!—but otherwise seems like a surefire way to being questioned by local authorities should you enter a school zone.

1965 Buick Special Deluxe Station Wagon

For just $12,750, you can drive away in this epic slice of Americana, a quintessential wagon from the 1960s. Skewing perhaps a bit too close to the legit Pebble Beach proceedings, this “multiple award winner” nonetheless represents an affordable way into a classic car, and it even packs a manual transmission.

1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28

We aren’t entirely sure why this immaculate-appearing, “fully restored” ’69 Camaro Z/28 isn’t parked on a lawn somewhere this weekend, but if you have a spare $79,900, that empty spot on the green could be your gain, for some, uh, green.

1947 Dodge Flatbed Truck

Hey, maybe you could help out the groundskeepers at the various golf courses and green spaces when they go to repair the damage done by tire marks and foot traffic with this classic Dodge flatbed truck. We totally dig the red-over-black paint scheme and the wood-framed bed, and we’re pretty sure it could haul a car or two. Practical and, at just $5500, cheap!

1979 Ford Bronco “429 Thunderjet swap”

The thought of taking this beach-ready Ford Bronco to the ocean—by way of a few fancy golf courses and terraces between the road and Monterey Bay—is just too good to us. We’d happily traipse over the manicured lawns of Pebble just to reach some sand, sun, and surf. As a bonus, this roofless Bronco has been given a 429-cubic-inch big-block V-8 swap at some point, and with the suspension lift and beefy tires, it looks just about perfect. A mere $12,000 takes it away, and that price includes spares and the original engine.

1929 Lincoln

This seller’s description of what appears to be a very nice 1929 Lincoln is extremely short on specifics, but at least there’s no holding back with the photos. From the images included with the listing (asking price? $45,000), we can surmise that this Lincoln is a classy and quite cool Town Car and runs a rebuilt, original engine.

1969 Mercury Cougar

The asking price for this modified Cougar seems slightly high to us at $20,000, but there’s no question it offers a compelling alternative to those seeking a ’60s Mustang. The Cougar was nicer, comfier, and, depending on who you ask, better-looking than its Ford counterpart. And if you dig purple, this is your car.

1975 MG Midget

We like it when prices scale to the size of the car they’re attached to. Take, for example, this low-mile MG Midget, which is being offered for just $3800. If you squint, it sort of looks like a miniature orange Ferrari 250GT. Not working? Have another beer. Or several. Either way, small sporting car adventures are just a low outlay away, and if this is a lifelong California car and rust is totally absent, we think it’s a good deal.

1965 Plymouth Sport Fury Convertible

California’s stunning Pacific Coast Highway 1 runs right through the Monterey Peninsula, and we couldn’t think of a better ride for loafing along behind slow-moving tourists than this $7800 Plymouth droptop. The 383 “Commando” V-8 should provide more than enough motivation to make it up PCH’s various inclines, while the roomy interior means the whole gang can come along and enjoy the view, too.

There’s no doubt this Ghia coupe looks a bit scruffy, but we like its strange color combination and its attractive $2250 ask. It definitely has some rust, but for such little money, it’s a use-and-abuse kind of car. We’d proudly cruise past Pebble Beach in this air-cooled VW.